


The Rosary and the Flash

by apricot_drop (Tanngerine)



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Basically yuuki still calls asuna nee-san even after they're in a relationship, But in as healthy way as I can write it, Character Study, Deviates From Canon, F/F, Family, Fix-It, Its meant to just be hot and playful and they keep it between them, Kirito and asuna are gonna break up, M/M, Sibling romantic/sexual play..?, Slow Burn, They discuss and are both cool with it, except for drama bc everyone in this series is pretty mature?, in this for the long haul so expect anything and everything romantic, refuse to use the femslash tag for a perfectly viable couple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:02:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23193646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tanngerine/pseuds/apricot_drop
Summary: Yuuki saw her death coming for a long while now. Fought for each and every second, tooth and nail--for fifteen long, long years. But even she couldn't force her own heart to keep going, not at this point.Surrounded by thousands of people of admired her, in the arms of the girl she loved more than anyone else in the world, she well and truly couldn't ask for more.She closed her eyes, preparing to die.Except, she didn't.
Relationships: Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Tsuboi Ryoutarou | Klein, Konno Yuuki | Yuuki/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna
Kudos: 34





	The Rosary and the Flash

**Author's Note:**

> There are so few works for this pairing it's criminal OTL
> 
> Warning that the fic will also include Kirito and Asuna's break up. They're such a thing in canon that I don't feel I can write either of them with someone else without addressing it in a natural way (at least as much so that I can). Highlighted pairings will develop after resolution. 
> 
> Smut will happen eventually, sooner for the non-underaged couple (lmao). Chance for the rating to hike up to explicit, but it'll be blocked off just in case. But I'm a die-hard romantic, so it'll take a while
> 
> Final disclaimer: I'm absolutely not a doctor. But, I like to talk, so

Kurahashi was prepared for her to pass away in ALO. It's what Ms. Yuuki insisted she wanted, and she well and truly had barely minutes of life left in her. 

He watched Konno's pulse monitor flickered, tiny jumps that barely distinguished the bar from outright flatlining. They came fewer and farther between. His heart wrenched.

He had watched over Konno for so long. She fought a long and hard battle, this day should have come ages ago, but she persevered to this very moment. 

It was unprofessional. He knew it. But he could not help but reach for his patient's hand; wanting to hold her just once, once before she was gone for good. His staff remained quiet as he did, understanding his sentiments. 

Just a hair's breadth away from when he was touching her pale, sickly skin, a loud slam made him jump, and he whirled around to see one of the receptionists heaving and gasping at the door. “Doctor!”

He was about to scold her, upset that she literally walked in on a dying patient, but a parcel was shoved into his chest. “From... From Dr. Koujiro Rinko! It's addressed to Ms. Konno!” 

_Koujiro..? The founder of the Medicuboid?_ He frowned, tearing the edge of the packaging for syringes to fall out into his palm. A small note fluttered to the floor. 

_“For Ms. Konno Yuuki; as a token of my appreciation for her experimental data.”_

_“May this reach her in time.”_

He grabbed at a separate sheet within the package, eyes tearing over it wildly; it contained administration instructions. 

There wasn't a moment to waste. “Get her pulse up and active again, immediately! We _must_ prepare her for the dosage!” The nurses moved without hesitation, thankfully efficient and urgent in their actions. Konno had become the hospital's pride and joy; if there was even a small chance at saving her, then—

He rebooted all the necessary monitoring equipment, knowing what exactly he should be looking for if the drug was to improve her state. 

_I know you've prepared to leave this world, Konno_ , he thought desperately as he worked, unpacking the rest of the parcel. _Our medical institution—and your courage—has extended your life to its very limit. But it was full of pain, suffering—_ s _o much more than what you deserve..._

_I beg you... Please, give us one more chance!_

* * *

Asuna wept, tears falling and falling as Yuuki grew weaker before her eyes. The younger girl's normally bright red irises were hazy and muddled, closer to the sickly brown they were in real life. Asuna squeezed her hand tighter. The thousands of players surrounding them watched solemnly. 

She could almost hear it. The clock ticking down towards the end of her friend's life. 

Asuna shut her eyes, just for a moment. Gods, she should be watching Yuuki, until the very end, but it's so frightening, so painful— 

Suddenly, Yuuki squeezed her hand, _hard._ Asuna looked at her, startled. Her peaceful expression from prior turned into a grimace. 

“Yuuki?! Yuuki, what's wrong?!” She heard rustling from all around, players looking up worried and curious. 

“They're doing something... in the hospital room...” she croaked. “Asuna... big sis... Go there, I beg you...” 

Her reaction was immediate. Asuna nodded sharply, whipping her head towards her boyfriend, hovering nearby. “Kirito!” 

He was by her side in a flash, voice calm and eyes steely. “Asuna, what can I do?” 

“Hold her, please, I have to go,” she pleaded, gripping at his shirt with her free hand, shaking as she did. He nodded, carefully switching places with her. Not a moment later, Asuna had logged out, leaving digital residue to flicker and dissipate in her wake. He felt worried eyes boring through him, but everyone kept their distance out of respect. 

“Zekken,” he said, his voice low. “You still there?” 

Her eyes met his with a pained grimace, holding his gaze. Kirito leaned closer, enough to hear her quiet, weakened whisper. 

“I think...” she said, with the barest trace of a smile, “My fight's not over just yet.” 

* * *

Asuna stormed out of the amusphere room, nearly tripping as she did. The familiar glass panel awaited her, but this time the door was locked, the staff inside seemingly working with urgency. Dr. Kurahashi was calling out orders, muffled by the glass. A familiar face waited and seemingly was praying on one of the seats outside—one of the receptionists, she realized. 

“Please excuse me!” The older woman jumped up, startled, but recognized her also. 

“Ms. Yuuki!” 

“Please, tell me, what's happening,” she begged, grasping at her hands. 

The older woman’s voice was shaken up, frantic. “Dr. Koujiro—the developer of the Medicuboid—delivered some kind of medication just minutes ago. They are administering it right now.” 

Asuna's eyes widened, and she all but threw herself against the glass. “Yuuki! Yuuki, hang in there! Yuuki!” If the girl were conscious, she knew her cries wouldn't go unheard. She didn't stop there, couldn't stop. 

“You're Zekken, right?! The number one swordsman! The strongest in ALO... no, the whole universe..!” She sobbed, but forced herself not to turn away. Her fingers curled against the glass, nails leaving slight dents in the panels. “You can't be satisfied, not yet; there's more things waiting for you, I know it! We still have more bosses to fight, right?! And everyone at school thinks you're so smart, I'm sure you have more to learn! Everyone loves you, and they're all waiting for you to come back..! And I...” Her voice broke, hoarse and sore. Her legs felt weak, so weak. “I want to talk with you more...” 

“I…”

“…I... really love you, from the bottom of my heart.. You deserve so much more than what the world has given you... So please, keep fighting..!” 

“...Yuuki!!!!” 

* * *

In ALO, Yuuki remained frozen in Kirito’s lap; the younger player had passed out some time ago. The male found solace, however, in the fact that she hadn’t disappeared. It meant she wasn’t brain dead, not yet.

Yui fluttered to his shoulder. “Have you found out what’s going on?” he asked quietly, mindful of the players surrounding them. Some had left, concerned but unable to stick around, but there was still quite the crowd. He intended to convey the situation as best he could, but it had to be done accurately and mindfully.

“From what I could tell from her Medicuboid, they’re performing an operation; Yuuki is unconscious right now and Mama is watching her.” Her voice was shaky. Kirito lifted a finger to soothe her, and she squeezed tightly. “She’s so scared.”

His chest nearly seized as Yuuki’s figure suddenly pixelated in front of him, her avatar flickering between static and normal display for seemingly ages before it settled again. Gasps and murmurs of shock erupted around him.

“She’s in critical condition,” Yui whispered. “I… I think her heart stopped a few minutes ago. It looks like the doctors got it running again, but…”

He grimaced. If Yuuki was weaving in and out between death like that, there’s no telling what the end result would be.

One of Yuuki’s party members kneeled beside him and their leader, clutching his sleeve in desperation. Siune, he remembered.

“Black Swordsman—please, what is happening with Yuuki?” she pleaded.

He told her what was relayed to him just prior, with emphasis on her being in critical condition, so as not to stir up too much hope.

Hope there was, though. Glances flickered between them. Yuuki’s party members interpreted the situation as life or death for her, one that their leader was desperately fighting.

“Siune, can you please relay the situation to the other players here? I’m going to bring Yuuki—Konno—to my and Asuna’s home, if you’re alright with it. I’d like to give her some privacy.” He didn’t know how long the endeavor would take, and was worried others would get antsy. Everyone took the time to send her off—they deserved to know what was going on; that, while Zekken was not dead, she most likely was still dying.

Siune nodded, agreeing to both requests. She whispered to the rest of the Sleeping Knights, and they all stood. Eyes turned from Kirito and Zekken to the small, renowned guild.

It was none other than the healer herself who spoke. She must be closest to the violet-haired swordsman. “Fellow players!” Her voice was reverberated through the island, grave and calm. “We—the Sleeping Knights—thank you from the bottom of our hearts for seeing our leader off. Were she to pass at the moment that was anticipated, we truly could not have believed she could not have been happier. However…” Her gaze swept the perimeter. “We have received news that she is undergoing a critical operation. She has—” Her voice caught, straining from the weight of her next words. “Her heart has already stopped, multiple times. Before the operation and as it’s currently underway. The outcome is uncertain.”

“Thus, we wish to take her to a more reserved location. So that she may fight this battle head on, in the privacy of those closest to her.” The players of the guild bowed. “We thank you again. And pray with all our strength that we may deliver good news.”

Quiet conversation echoed throughout the island upon conclusion of the announcement. Siune turned to him. “Please, Kirito—take us with you.” He nodded, carefully standing with Zekken in his arms.

Leafa and the rest of their friend group bound up to him. “We’ll check in on you guys later. There’s a lot of people here, so in case anything happens, we’ll take care of it.”

He nodded back, silent in gratitude but genuine all the same.

They lifted off, and for a certain distance away, the clamor rose, players now being more outspoken with him and Zekken not there. He deplored the idea and the _gall_ of people in general, but had no doubt that a handful of players likely believed this to be some over-dramatic ploy.

Yui hung onto his ear, clutching tightly. In his arms, Yuuki static-ed out again, not going unnoticed by him and the rest of the guild. Agitation thrummed beneath his skin. It hadn’t been that long since the last instance.

 _Yuuki…_ He prayed and prayed.

_…Asuna. Watch over her._

* * *

Everything hurt so goddamn _much_.

Sure, that wasn't anything new, exactly. She was doomed to a painful existence; such was what her illness dictated. But it got better. The only reason she was able to stay sane enough to function in VR for three years was because of the nerve-numbing aspect of the Medicuboid. But before that, existing was, quite literally, a physically hellish experience.

Physically, mentally, emotionally.

What on earth were they doing to her, to override the Medicuboid's transmitters by so much, that she felt she may as well not even be using it? Wasn't she still in ALO, even?

Someone cradled her from the virtual world; but not with the same arms that held her as she lay on the island, conscious and dying. It wasn't Asuna, who she knew was trying her damned hardest not to cry in front of her, but she was too nice, too soft. Where was she?

Wait... She told Asuna to come see her in the real world, right? 

She was so immobilized by the pain that she couldn't even log out, couldn't see the love of her life probably agonizing over whatever they were doing to her. Couldn't watch as her own fate was being dictated in that hospital room once again.

She couldn't do anything. But, clearly, they were putting her through this with the hopes that she'll survive. They had to be, or they'd have just let her go.

Maybe, just maybe, they found something groundbreaking?

Something that could turn her whole life around?

Is... the life she always longed for; a _normal_ one, outside of the Medicuboid and the hospital bed, finally within her reach? Just waiting for her to get there?

If that were the case... Dying wasn't an option. Not willingly.

All she could do was lay there, suffering, agonizing. But that was enough, that meant she was still alive. She just had to sit through it. Stay awake.

Dr. Kurahashi.

Asuna.

_Wait for me._

* * *

An hour passed, then two, three. At some point the receptionist left, squeezing her shoulder as she did. Asuna stayed awake and watchful the whole time, whispering prayers and encouragement all in the same breath. She didn't know nearly enough about the monitors or signals, had no direction as to how the operation was going other than the one that showed Yuuki's heart rate. She was terrified, terribly so, as the green line would show spikes of activity, but occasionally be peppered with flat lines, followed by more scrambling of the assistants to get it back up again. How many times has the young girl's pulsed stopped? What if the next time they managed to fix it, would end up being the last? When Asuna's eyes weren't trained on the monitor nor on the patient herself, she would watch Dr. Kurahashi, who worked tirelessly, attentively, sweat visibly rolling down his neck. 

Finally, at long last, the staff all seemed to slow at once, one even collapsing. Was that... relief on their faces? Did she dare to hope? Asuna whipped around to look at the heart rate monitor, which pulsed steadily. 

_Yuuki..._

The doctor himself stepped out of the room, an exhausted, but satisfied expression on his face. 

“The operation was a success.” 

Her eyes widened, and Asuna fell to the floor, no strength left in her legs. She slowly brought her hands to cover her mouth, stifling the choking sounds that threatened to emerge. Tears flowed freely, falling into her lap. 

He grinned. “Even as we speak, her deficient cells are being replaced by new, healthy ones. The process normally takes 6 years, but for her condition to have stabilized, as severe as it was, it must be happening at a highly accelerated rate. Blood samples should give us a good idea of how long it would take, so long as nothing else goes wrong.” 

“We'll still need to keep her quarantined for at least a few weeks to prevent infection, and monitor her in the upcoming years to make sure the virus successfully went into remission. She's also suffered minor brain damage from having to have been resuscitated so many times, unfortunately... But, therapy should reverse most, if not all of it.”

He paused, shaking his head. “I digress... Main point is, there's a very good chance she'll be free of her illness, at this rate.” He glanced over at Yuuki, smiling. “She is asleep, however, and likely will spend a lot of time doing so until her body is healthy. That should speed up the process even further.” 

“Th...” She was crouched over, outright sobbing. “Thank you so much, Doctor…” She thanked him over and over and over, voice choked and broken. 

Dr. Kurahashi stepped over to her, placing knee on the ground. She felt a hand gently place itself on her head. 

“Thank _you,_ Ms. Yuuki,” he said softly. “You've done so much for her, and I have no doubt you played large role in her recovery _.”_ He lifted his hand and stood up again, hand outstretched to help her up. He leaned back against the glass whilst turning to look at his patient fondly. Asuna wiped at her eyes and did the same. “It's been a long, long three years... Furthermore, this is just the start, for those with Yuuki's condition. Not only is she the first experimental patient for the Medicuboid, but potentially the first to have recovered from HIV from whatever concoction Dr. Koujiro had thought up of. Cases of cured patients have occurred few and far between, but still no more than could be counted on one hand and not without risky, experimental procedures. She's not quite the first to have been brought back from the brink of death, but... I do still believe it is a good sign.” 

“And, this goes without saying but.” His smile widened. “It's also the premise of the start to her new life. Outside of a hospital, and VR.”

Asuna looked over at Yuuki, Medicuboid still resting over her face. Her avatar was likely still sleeping in ALO, probably already in her and her boyfriend's home, knowing how quick and attentive his judgement is. She would have to fly in and relay the good news to everyone, and check on the girl and the rest of the Sleeping Knights while she was there.

She sniffled again, hand coming up to lightly press against the glass. “Yuuki...” she whispered. Pride, love, and joy seized her heart.

_“You did it.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys like it so far ;v;/ I just want them to be happy, haha. To the start of a happy and fluffy girl couple!
> 
> (Sorry for any OOC-ness. I honestly had zero investment in this series until this arc, so I didn't pay too much attention to the characters. Hope no one is flat out unrecognizable.)
> 
> Also, I am looking for a beta reader for this work! I am willing to do beta work in return; the more familiar I am with a series, the more involved I can be, however I am confident I can at least proofread and do some light editing. Shoot me a message if you're interested, please! <3 
> 
> Love y'all hope to see u soon


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